EP2272387A1 - Pipe attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

The whistling attachment has an external heating unit for producing vaporous, flavor and addition agent containing aerosol made from plant material with an open and continuous hollow longitudinal piece (1). A nozzle-like neck (4) is arranged over an inner diameter of a connection (2).

Description

The invention relates to a pipe attachment with external heating for the production of vaporous, flavor and / or active substance-containing aerosol from plant material, consisting of a both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece having at one end a largely airtight connection for attachment to a bowl. The term "aerosol" stands for the finest distribution of solid or liquid substances in gas, for example smoke, mist or steam. Flavor and / or drug vapor therapies may be used in a variety of diseases (e.g., the respiratory tract) as well as smoking cessation.

The evaporation of the aroma and / or active ingredients of a plant takes place at temperatures below the focal point and the inhalation of the vaporous aerosol is a healthier alternative to smoking a plant. After it does not come to the combustion of the plant material, get in the inhalation of vapors also no unwanted and harmful burn by-products into the lungs. The simplest method for producing vaporous aerosol from plant material is its heating via conduction in stagnant air. Upon reaching the necessary temperature, the plant material begins to separate out vapors, which can subsequently be inhaled. A more efficient method, both in terms of drug yield and vapor aerosol quality, is the targeted use of a hot air stream which bypasses the plant material and heats it by convection. This is also the case with the present invention.

There are various devices that produce aroma and / or active agent vapors (vapor, aroma and / or drug-containing aerosol) through a hot air flow past the plant material. The most mature solution for a Heifiluftstromprinzip based device is currently a volcanic application with the patent DE 198 03 376 C1 ( EP0933093A2 . US 6,513,524 B1 ). As in the case of the aforementioned application, a large number of devices based on the hot-air flow principle are operated electrically. They are particularly suitable for domestic use, on the one hand because you need a suitable power source for the operation and on the other hand because of their size.

The present invention fits into a solution where the problem of power supply is solved by the use of an external heat source, which is incorporated in the most cases is a flame. The use of a conventional lighter as a heat source allows the unproblematic take away of the heat dispenser. As with the present invention, most of the known designs of external heat source devices for producing vaporous aerosol from plant material are reduced to a handy pocket size to provide a portable and inexpensive alternative to larger and electrically powered devices in conjunction with a conventional lighter. An exception in this regard is the application US6354301 described two-piece device (sold under the name 'Vriptech'), which is intended for use with a hot air gun. This makes difficult because of the size of a hot air gun uncomplicated to take away, makes a power source necessary and is also questionable from a health point of view, as the intended for inhalation air flows past in the interior of a conventional hot air gun at toxic components.

Among the well-known flame-driven steam inhalers include those in the patent US7415982 described pipe (sold under the name 'Ubie') and in the patents US7434584 and US 2009/0032034 A1 described whistle (sold under the name 'Vaporgenie').

All of the known models are open and hollow longitudinal pieces constructed so that airflow entering the length can be heated with an external heat source to the appropriate temperature for vaporization of the flavoring and / or active ingredients of the selected plant material , The subject of the application closest comes in the patent documents US7434584 and US 2009/0032034 A1 as the filter unit described therein is designed for use as a stand-alone pipe attachment and in the document US 2009/00320034 also different connections for attaching the essay on various pipe heads are listed.

A central problem of the known flame-driven steam inhalers is that the heated air does not flow completely evenly through the plant material and therefore there is an irregular evaporation of the active ingredients. In the known models, the highest layer of the Pfianzenmateriais placed in the pipe bowl is most strongly heated, ie the layer to which the hot air stream first strikes. The farther the hot air stream passes through the plant material, the more it is cooled. In the case of plant residues laying on the side of the pipe bowl, the same problem is encountered in the known models. The hot air stream flows through the center of the pipe bowl, but reaches the either outermost edge or not in the same thickness as the one in the middle. These problems are well known. The one in the document US2009 / 0032034 In this regard, the subject of the application offers at least one solution for the plant material that laterally adjoins the pipe bowl. This is a disk with holes (reference numeral 70 in Fig. 11, [0072] - [0073]), which is prefaced to the filter unit in said application. However, the problem of lower heating of the lower layers of the plant material has hitherto not been solved in the case of a flame-driven whistle for producing vaporous aerosol.

The known models have no device that guarantees that both the side of the pipe bowl fitting as well as lying in the bowl top Pflanxenmaterial are just as much heated and just as much exposed to the penetrating air flow as it is the plant material in the center and in the upper part of the bowl the case is. However, unevenly evaporated plant material has a disadvantageous effect on the quality of the aerosol and on the achieved active ingredient yield.

The present invention has the object, a pipe attachment with external heating for the production of vapor, aroma and / or active substance-containing aerosol of plant material of the type described in such a way that it overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages as possible, and in all parts and layers of the Whistle head perfectly uniform and homogeneous evaporation of the active ingredients of the plant material guaranteed.

The task was solved by a nozzle-like narrowing of the inner diameter above the connection of the essay with the pipe bowl.

By the nozzle-like constriction is achieved that the previously heated air flow is offset when passing the nozzle in turbulence, which then hit the plant material and cause a homogeneous heating of the plant material. The entire filling space for the plant material is uniformly detected by the hot air flow and in addition, the normally dried and crushed plant material is whirled up. The nozzle-like constriction thus ensures a homogeneous and complete evaporation process in two respects: Firstly, hot air entering the pipe bowl is mixed with turbulence and scattered, and secondly, the plant material itself is moved in the pipe bowl. The problem of the plant material resting against the wall of the pipe bowl and insufficiently reached by the stream of hot air is eliminated as well as that of the lower classes the plant material, which are not exposed to the hot air flow in the known models as the upper layers. The nozzle-like constriction and the turbulence caused by the hot air flow during inhalation ensure a constant movement of the plant material in the bowl, solve the problem of insufficiently detected outer and / or lower layers and ensure homogeneous temperature and ventilation conditions in the bowl.

Although there are provided in other known applications constrictions of the inner diameter of the longitudinal piece, but they always fulfill a completely different purpose. Such as the one in the document US 2009/0032034 describes constriction (reference numeral 106 in Fig. 24, [0081]) where the restriction is a projection in the filter housing to secure a filter unit. Also in the patent US 6148826 described constriction (reference number 24 in Fig. 1, 2 , and 3 ., [Page 2, lines 15 - 20] serves only the division of the longitudinal piece described in a rear smoke chamber and a front filling chamber for the plant material. The constriction keeps the plant material in place. In addition, the user attracts the cited application subject at the end of the rear smoke chamber, which in clear contrast to the pipe attachment described here means that the constriction is only used when the air is already past the plant material. In the patent US 7415982 a constriction of the inner diameter of the longitudinal piece is also provided (reference numeral 30 in FIG Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 ), with the sole and - as emphasized in the abstract and the first claim - exclusive function to serve as a physical barrier to the plant material and to stabilize it inside the longitudinal piece.
The known constrictions are therefore in terms of their function in any way comparable to the nozzle-like constriction described here. The nozzle-like constriction described here does not serve as attachment, separation, division o. Ä., But solves the targeted problem of turbulence caused by the hot air flow, the previously unsolved problem of incomplete evaporation of outer and lower regions of the plant material placed in the bowl.

The pipe attachment is also the only one of its kind designed for both direct and indirect heating of the airflow. Direct heating such as from the documents US7415982 . US7434584 and US 2009/0032034 A1 known models brings the hot air flow faster to the desired temperature, but at the same time are using a flame potentially harmful combustion residues of the flame with inhaled. The indirect heating of the air stream takes a little longer, but excludes impurities of the hot air flow through combustion residues of the flame. Examples of indirectly heated air flows of Vaporisiergeräten of the type discussed here are about as in the patent EP1779886 ( AT502169 Pocket inhaler (sold under the name 'Vapbong'), a product sold under the name 'Vapman' and a product sold under the name 'lolite'.

If direct heating of the air stream is preferred in the registration article, then the heat source must be kept just above the end opposite the connection end. When sucking on the pipe, the air flows past the heat source before penetrating into the pipe attachment and is heated directly, after which it continues its way into the interior of the attachment. If indirect heating of the air stream is preferred, then the heat source is directed laterally onto the hollow and open longitudinal piece. When sucking on the pipe, the air is indirectly heated by the hot longitudinal piece after it has penetrated into the attachment, without coming into direct contact with the external heat source. The longitudinal piece serves as a spacer to the plant material in direct use of the heat source to avoid direct contact between, for example, a flame and the plant material. Indirect use of the heat source will provide enough surface for lateral heating to avoid unwanted direct contact between airflow and heat source. The length can be chosen arbitrarily, in addition to the function as a spacer between flame and plant material and the function of serving as a sufficient attack surface for the external heat source, the length also in terms of heat storage capacity for the efficient heating of the air flow of importance.

The nozzle-like narrowing of the inside diameter is of crucial importance for both the direct and indirect use of the heat source, as it always ensures a uniform distribution of the hot air flow and the swirling up of the plant material.

As a material for the pipe attachment is preferably heat-resistant glass in question, but in principle, the use of a number of other heat-resistant materials such as ceramic or metal conceivable The connection for attaching the pipe attachment to a pipe bowl when using glass is preferably a standard ground core. In recent years, glass pipes have become more and more popular, and regardless of the manufacturer or the brand, numerous models in the choice of Pipe head for a glass tube with inner contact connection grinding, a so-called grinding sleeve. These parts are industrially manufactured in standard sizes, have the advantage of an easy-to-clean, smooth-cut interior and, due to their precise, mostly conical design and their low cost for use as a pipe bowl downright. Normally, these ground joints ('females') are used together with ground cores ('males') as airtight connections between glass tubes, but the system also works with other materials. Correspondingly, the cores are tubes with an outer ground joint that fits exactly into the ground joint of the ground joint. The use of a ground pipe as a pipe bowl represents a misuse. At the same time, however, this circumstance allows the uncomplicated and airtight attachment of all possible devices to the pipe bowl as long as they have a suitable external connection.

However, the type and design of the connection are in no way limited and are not of decisive importance for the proper functioning of the registration subject. Plug-in connections are just as conceivable as screw connections or O-ring connections or latching connections. It must only be ensured that the connection is largely airtight and when pulling on the pipe, the air flows at least partially through the tower and the essay is not bridged by leaks of the compound or put out of action. Smaller leaks in the connection can be accepted and possibly even used deliberately to cool the hot air stream. In the document US 2009/0032034 a variety of possible types of connection for the subject of the application described therein is described which without exception can also find application for the pipe attachment described here. The pipe attachment is universally applicable and not tied to a specific pipe model.

Furthermore, a further narrowing of the inner diameter above the nozzle-like constriction is provided according to the invention.

A further narrowing of the inner diameter above the first nozzle-like constriction can reduce the escape of hot air through the end of the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece opposite the compound grinding. This is especially important in the lateral heating of the essay, so in the indirect use of the external heat source. It forms a storage space for the heated air between the nozzle-like Narrowing of the inner diameter above the Verbindufigsschliffes and the further narrowing of the inner diameter of both sides open and continuous hollow longitudinal piece.

In addition, such a further narrowing of the inner diameter allows the control of the passage. The smaller the nozzle-like constriction, the greater the braking effect for the penetrating airflow, and the more resistance the user feels when inhaling through the whistle. In other words, the smaller the constriction, the harder the user will have to put it to inhale the same volume of air that he breathes in with a larger diameter by putting on more easily. Now it can be of great interest to make the passage more difficult and thereby prevent the user from inhaling excessive amounts of hot air and possibly causing harm. Theoretically, the first nozzle-like constriction above the connection to the pipe bowl can also fulfill the task of reducing draft. However, the combination with a further narrowing allows a more precise fine tuning. Thus, it may be, for example, that for the first nozzle-like constriction of the inside diameter above the connection grinding, an ideal diameter for generating the desired turbulence is selected, but this does not reduce the draft as desired. This can be compensated by a smaller diameter of the further narrowing of the inner diameter of the open on both sides and continuously hollow longitudinal piece, which in this case has the function of Durchzugsreduzierung. This further constriction may be at any point on the length or directly at the opposite end of the connection.

Furthermore, the invention provides that the hollow longitudinal piece is wound above the connection.

A coiled length above the connection provides the opportunity to increase the total area to be heated and the heat storage capacity without having to increase the distance between the two ends of the open on both sides and through hollow longitudinal piece.

According to the invention a removable, fixed directly to the attachment is also provided in the interior of the essay between the nozzle-like constriction and the end of the longitudinal piece in the region of the compound, which creates a filling space for plant material in the interior of the essay and makes a separate bowl head superfluous. It is possible to remove the grille from the attachment, the plant material directly inside the Place the attachment in the area of the connection joint and reinsert the grille. This eliminates the need for their own pipe bowl, and the pipe attachment can thus be plugged directly into any pipe or, for example, in a silicone hose and is fully operational while saving the cost of a bowl. In addition, the preferably made of metal lattice ensures a homogeneous temperature distribution. The filing of the document US 2009/0032034 Although also provides a grid for the placement and stabilization of the plant material in the bowl head before (reference numeral 30 in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 , Fig. 4a / 4b to Fig. 7, Fig. 21, Fig. 22, Fig. 26), but this grid is always fixed just as in the other known models in the area of the bowl and pipe bowl. The attachment of the grid directly to the attachment and the creation of a separate filling space inside the attachment is in contrast a clear advantage.

In addition, the invention provides that the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece has a mark of the area to be heated.

The marking of the area to be heated allows the users on the one hand to locate the ideal heating area and on the other hand helps to avoid burns by touching the not yet cooled pipe attachment.

LIST OF FIGURES

• Fig.1 shows a longitudinal section through a possible embodiment of the attached to a pipe bowl pipe attachment
• Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a possible embodiment of the pipe attachment
• Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section through another possible embodiment of the pipe attachment

In the illustrated embodiment of the pipe attachment in Fig. 1 is to see the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1, further the compound 2 with the bowl head 3, the nozzle-like constriction 4 of the inner diameter above the connection 2, and a further narrowing of the inner diameter 6 above the nozzle-like constriction 4. The constriction 6 is in this case at the opposite end of the compound 5 continuous hollow piece 1. The connection type in the selected embodiment corresponds to a plug connection between a conical standard ground sleeve and a conical Normschliffkem. As long as the connection is largely airtight, their concrete execution for the correct functioning of the essay is not important and therefore not relevant to the invention. It only has to be ensured that the air flows at least partially through the attachment when pulling on the pipe and the attachment is not completely bridged or disabled. The nozzle-like constriction 4 of the inner diameter above the connection 2 may also vary in shape and length. In the case of the optional pipe bowl 3 of the embodiment, the planting material is first filled in the grinding sleeve where it comes to rest on the bottom of the bowl. The bottom of the bowl 3 has an opening in the center for the passage of the air flow. Thereafter, the pipe attachment is plugged, whereby the plant material in the bowl 3 between the bottom of the pipe attachment and the nozzle-like constriction 4 of the inner diameter above the connection 2 comes to rest.

In the Fig. 2 Possible embodiment shown includes the basic version of the pipe attachment with the essential components for its proper functioning: the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1, the largely airtight connection 2 and the nozzle-like narrowing of the inner diameter 4 above the connection 2. The pipe attachment is preferably made of heat-resistant glass made, but can also be made of other heat-resistant materials such as ceramic or metal. The compound 2 is in the selected representation, a conical standard ground core which is suitable for attachment to a pipe bowl in the form of a conical standard ground sleeve. The nozzle-like constriction can be located at any location above the connection 2 of both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1, as well as at its end. 5

Fig. 3 contains contains a possible embodiment of the pipe attachment based on Fig. 1 with an exemplary representation of the removable grid 7 in the region of the connection 2 in the inside of both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1. The preferably made of metal mesh 2 is stabilized in the embodiment by pressure on the inner wall of the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1. The grid can also be made of many other materials. Since the evaporation process below 10 takes place at the focal point of Pftanzenmaterials, even less heat-resistant materials such as paper would be conceivable. The removable grid 7 can be removed to fill the interior of the pipe attachment directly with the plant material. Thereafter, the grid 7 is again inserted into the attachment and the device is also ready for operation as would be the case with the placement of the plant material in a pipe bowl. In this case, the pipe attachment is inserted into a suitable tube or silicone hose in order to be able to tighten on it.

The operation is very easy. The pipe bowl is attached to the pipe if it is not already fixed to one. Theoretically, you can also tighten directly on the pipe bowl, but an extension in the form of a pipe or a hose facilitates the operation and also ensures the cooling of the hot air stream before entering the oral cavity. No matter with which pipe bowl, the pipe attachment always works in the same way. The attachment should be held so that the connection opposite end 5 of both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1 faces upward. This orientation of the pipe attachment results in principle automatically, since the essay is in the bowl and pipe bowls are not usually kept down, otherwise the contents of the bowl would fall to the floor. If the external heat source is used directly for heating the air flow, then it must be held directly over the end 5 of the double-sided open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1 in the operation-covered device. The user then pulls on the whistle or pipe bowl, causing air to flow past the heat source and heat up. Due to the nozzle-like narrowing of the inner diameter 4 above the connection 2, turbulences are generated in the resulting hot air flow, which ensure uniform, high-quality and area-wide heating of the plant material. The formation of vaporous aerosol starts depending on the selected plant in different temperature ranges and can be perceived in taste. The steam passes through the bowl 3 and the pipe outlet into the oral cavity and the lungs and becomes more and more visible with increasing warming during exhalation. At this point, the heat source should be removed from the pipe attachment to avoid the risk of overheating and burning of the plant material, which is unlikely but possible due to the construction of the pipe attachment. Protection against this risk provides the pipe attachment in direct use of the heat source on the one hand by its length, which prevents the direct contact of the heat source with the plant material, and on the other hand by the control of the passage through the constrictions of the Inner diameter 2 and 6. In the indirect use of external heat source this is laterally directed to the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece 1. The longitudinal piece 1 begins to warm and the user, as usual, to pull the pipe. Achieving the minimum temperature required for the evaporation process will take a little longer than using the heat source directly, but the inhalation of contaminants and harmful vapors from the heat source is completely eliminated. The plant material is in both cases heated exclusively by convection and consumed only when the pipe is pulled.

Claims (5)

Pipe attachment with external heating for producing vapor, aroma and / or agent-containing aerosol from plant material with an open on both sides and continuously hollow longitudinal piece (1) at one end a largely airtight connection (2) for attaching the essay on a bowl (3) characterized by a nozzle-like constriction (4) of the inner diameter above the connection (2), whereby the through the opposite end (5) penetrating and previously heated with an external heat source air before impinging on the plant material in the bowl head into turbulence and a homogenous flow and heating of the plant material and a complete active ingredient yield is guaranteed. Pipe attachment according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a further narrowing of the inner diameter (6) above the nozzle-like constriction (4). Pipe attachment according to claim 1-2, characterized in that in the interior of the attachment between the nozzle-like constriction (4) and the end of the longitudinal piece (1) in the region of the connection (2) a removable grid (7) is provided which directly on the pipe attachment is attached, creates a filling space for plant material inside the essay and makes a separate pipe bowl superfluous. Pipe attachment according to claim 1-3, characterized in that the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece (1) is wound. Pipe attachment according to claim 1-4, characterized in that the both sides open and continuously hollow longitudinal piece (1) has a marking of the area to be heated.

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